BAY CITY, MI — A Sterling man police say drunkenly stole a stranger’s car from a gas station, then crashed it about a mile down the road, has accepted a plea deal.

Faron L. Bergeron, 36, on Thursday, May 9, appeared before Bay County Chief District Judge Timothy J. Kelly and pleaded no contest to single counts of unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle, a five-year felony, and operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol content, a 180-day misdemeanor. In exchange for his pleas, Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Jordan E. Case agreed to dismiss a charge of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license and said he would not pursue a habitual offender sentencing enhancement.

By pleading no contest, Bergeron did not admit guilt. A Circuit Court judge will treat him as guilty at a forthcoming sentencing date.

Bergeron’s attorney, Kenneth Malkin, said his client pleaded no contest as he had no memory of the incident, which occurred the night of Thursday, April 25.

Around 9:25 p.m. on that day, a Bay County Sheriff’s sergeant was dispatched to Express Stop gas station, 520 E. Pinconning Road, in reference to a stolen car complaint. While the sergeant was on his way, Bay County Central Dispatch advised him that the missing vehicle was in a ditch on Pinconning Road near Fraser Road, about a mile from the business, court records show.

The sergeant arrived on the scene to see a red 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier in a ditch on its passenger side and Bergeron standing on the side of the roadway. The sergeant wrote in his report, contained in court documents, that Bergeron appeared heavily intoxicated and could hardly stand up.

Bergeron told the sergeant he was heading to prison for taking the car, that he was drunk and that he was coming from his brother’s bachelor party, court records show. He added that he had no idea who owned the Cavalier.

The sergeant had Bergeron breathe into a breathalyzer, which indicated Bergeron had a blood alcohol level of .217. The sergeant arrested Bergeron at the scene.

In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when their blood alcohol level is .08 or higher. A person is considered “super drunk” when their blood alcohol level is .17 or higher. With a blood alcohol level lower than .17, a drunken driver can face up to 93 days in jail on their first offense; a person convicted of breaking the super drunk law while driving faces up to 180 days in jail on their first offense.

The car’s owner, Douglas P. Preston Jr., 30, arrived at scene and told the sergeant he had been at the gas station and left his keys in the car, though he did not leave it running. When he came outside, his car was gone, he said.